Healthy Recipes to Keep You Fit and Fabulous

Contrary to popular belief, I did not actually fall off the face of the earth after Wednesday’s post.

However, I haven’t stopped moving since then, and I am cherishing this long-awaited time on the couch. I have lots to catch you up on, but this post is dedicated to Friday night- also known as the coolest night ever.

As you may already know from my About Me page, Corey played football for the University of Central Florida, where we both went to college. He was a 4-year starter, played tight end, and had an amazing career. Unfortunately, he suffered not one, but two, season-ending injuries; his junior year was a broken ankle, and his senior year was the most devastating- a torn ACL. He played too many plays to be eligible for a medical red shirt, and his football career was ended very prematurely.

Poster of Corey on the front of the UCF Arena

Us after a UCF game

When I first got to UCF as a freshman, my roommate and best friend, Katie, had already been living there over the summer. Being the social butterfly that she is, she was proud to announce that she had already befriended all of the football players on our dormatory hallway.

I will never forget the first night when I arrived at school, and the first thing Katie said to me was, “Don’t worry, there’s this guy named Jah that lives on our hallway- he’s basically the biggest human I’ve ever seen, and if we’re really nice to him, he might take out our trash for us!” Little did I know our friendship with Jah would lead me to my future husband 🙂 .

Corey lived with Jah for 3 years in the dorms, along with another teammate, Mike. The three of them have been great friends ever since.

Jah has had a great football career at UCF, but his time on the football field is only just beginning.

On Friday night, Corey’s parents hosted an NFL Draft watch party for Jah, who was expected to be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round. We invited a bunch of our friends over, and had a great time eating, drinking and anxiously awaiting the golden phone call.

Corey assumed his favorite role- Grill Master:

His mom rounded out the grilled burgers and hot dogs with french fries, salad, and an assortment of desserts.

I filled my plate with an extra-burnt hot dog, just the way I like it, and some french fries.

And an Orange Blossom Pilsner, of course.

The 2nd round of the draft had ended, and that’s when everyone’s nerves kicked in. Next thing we knew, Jah bolted out of the room and into the office to answer his phone. THIS WAS IT!

At the same time Jah was on the phone, everyone else was in the living room and erupted in celebration when this popped up on the TV screen:

Jah Reid to the BALTIMORE RAVENS!

As soon as he came back into the room, the celebrating began. Jah did the honors of popping champagne:

Mike gave a short and sweet toast, telling Jah how proud we all are of him.

We took lots of pictures.

Jah and his girlfriend Sarah

Roomies

And my favorite picture, Jah with his teammates and the girlfriends:

Then, it was time to par-tay.

We moved the celebration down by UCF to Knight Library. We drank and danced the night away and had a great time.

The only picture I have since my camera died!

Corey and I both agreed that this was one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had, and it is certainly something we will never forget. We are so happy for Jah- if there is anyone who deserves something this great, it is definitely him. We can’t wait to cheer him on as newfound Ravens fans!